Academic dissertation to be presented, with the assent of the Doctoral Training Committee of Technology and Natural Sciences of the University of Oulu, for public defence in Wetteri-sali (IT115), Linnanmaa, on 17 January 2013, at 12 noon

Abstract

At present, collaborative strategies are an important part of developing the capabilities to be able to compete in the 21st Century since knowledge or innovations cannot develop entirely within a single firm. Collaboration provides invaluable resources that a firm cannot create through knowledge transfer mechanisms. The purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to enhance understanding of knowledge transfer in requirements engineering in the context of collaborative product development. The research is qualitative by nature and utilises the case study methodology. Data collection was conducted through interviews and surveys with informants in high-tech enterprises. The results indicate that collaboration in product development is very important and acts as a means of obtaining external resources, especially knowledge. However, collaboration is not an easy practice; it involves many challenges. In order to improve the practice of collaboration, it is necessary to manage and leverage the transfer of knowledge. According to the results, in order to increase the effectiveness of knowledge transfer over enterprise interfaces, each knowledge type needs to be transferred through the suitable transfer channel at the right time. The results also indicate that the individual relationships among buyers and suppliers are an essential element for long-term collaboration and common platforms or tools need to be developed to support collaborative product development over enterprise interfaces.